Regulators OK plans for Hard Rock resort

Deborah Bulkeley

Thursday, Jan. 22, 2004 | 9:32 a.m.

JACKSON, Miss. -- The Hard Rock will soon bring a rock 'n' roll themed casino to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

The Mississippi Gaming Commission on Wednesday approved without comment plans for a $235 million Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Resort next to the Beau Rivage in Biloxi.

The resort will feature a Hard Rock Cafe, a Hard Rock live performance venue and rock 'n' roll memorabilia, said Joe Billhimer, president and chief operating officer of Premier Entertainment Biloxi LLC, the casino's Biloxi-based developer.

"Just bringing the Hard Rock name to the coast, I think is a tremendous opportunity for the coast from the tourism standpoint," Billhimer said.

Billhimer said salaries and taxes could bring up to $40 million to the local economy.

It will be the second Hard Rock casino. The other is owned by another company in Las Vegas.

The Hard Rock will be the coast's 13th casino and its first new casino since the Beau Rivage opened in 1999.

The developers recently went out on the road and gathered $160 million in investments for the project, said Gaming Commissioner Len Blackwell of Gulfport.

"That roadshow was very successful," he said. "It showed that Wall Street believes the Mississippi market is ready for expansion."

Construction could begin as early as next week, with a formal groundbreaking scheduled in early February, Billhimer said.

The resort will employ about 900 people full-time when it opens in the third quarter of 2005, Billhimer said. About 400 people will be employed in the construction phase, he said.

The casino will feature a 10-story hotel with 304 rooms, a pool with a beach area, and a nightclub on the top floor of the hotel. The casino will have a 48,500-square-foot gaming floor with 1,500 slot machines and 50 table games.

Biloxi Mayor A.J. Holloway said the Hard Rock will broaden his city's appeal as a tourist destination.

"The Hard Rock is just a name that is recognized worldwide and appeals to the younger crowd," he said.

Billhimer said the marketing focus will be on the Gulf Coast from New Orleans to Pensacola, Fla. He said there will also be a marketing emphasis in cities that have air service to Biloxi -- Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Tampa and Ft. Lauderdale.

"We want to fit the Gulf Coast, and we want to be a very locals friendly Hard Rock," he said. "At the same, time we think we'll draw very well from the destination markets."

The Hard Rock will be located at the site of the former Gold Shore Casino.

Premier will own and operate the casino under a 20-year licensing agreement with Hard Rock Hotel Licensing Inc., and two 10-year renewals, Billhimer said. It is not connected to the Hard Rock Beach Club at Pearl River Resort in Philadelphia.

The resort had earlier gained approval from the Biloxi City Council, Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.